I believe I could write a book on this particular topic.

It’s THE most asked question I see from new chefs.

What should I charge? How much is a 4 x 2 service? How much do I charge for a dinner party?

Well, guess what –  I DON’T have an answer to any of those questions! But I do have some ways for YOU to sort that out.

Pricing is personal and based on a multitude of factors

The first thing to know is the fees you set today are NOT etched in stone.

You can adjust fees if you find they are unworkable in the future. There…that should take a little pressure off.

The initial question for setting prices is usually: What should I charge for a regular service?

The first consideration when answering that question is – where are you located?

Pricing in LA is considerably different than pricing in St. Louis or Miami or Milwaukee.

Do your homework and spend some time poking around on the internet to see what the ‘going rate’ is for personal chefs in your area.

This is critical knowledge you’ll need to determine what is considered reasonable in your geographic area.

But…

Having said that, I’m going to say something that sounds counter to that – you do NOT have to price within that range.

Yep, you may be offering a niche service or your target market is super-high-end or you want to position yourself as THE elite chef in the market. So charge more.

Ultimately you need to charge what is fair for what you are providing. Fair for YOU as well as the client.

Who is your IDEAL client?

This brings us to the second factor in pricing – who is your ideal client?

  • Busy families?
  • Wealthy retired couples who are done cooking for themselves?
  • Vacationers in your area?
  • Professional athletes?
  • Folks with a medically necessary special diet?

If you’ve not yet sorted out WHO your ideal client is, now’s the time to do that.

Busy families may not have as much disposable income as the wealthy retired couples but may find value in what you offer.

Professional athletes will need you to monitor their nutrition and this will require more time on your part…you will charge more for this.

Vacationers may be celebrating something momentous in their lives and will throw caution to the wind.

Those newly diagnosed with a condition that requires a brand new diet will immediately see the value in having a personal chef guide them through this new health journey.

See – all those people have different needs and different motivations for looking for a personal chef.

You need to tap into the ideal client for you and price accordingly.

TIP or REASSURANCE: New chefs tend to suffer from a bit of Imposter Syndrome and feel they must charge less than more experienced personal chefs.

I say, can you provide a superior service? Are you READY to provide what you state you can provide? Yes?

Then charge appropriately for it.

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